AIR RIDE problems!

[alex13]

the car displays CHECK AIR RIDE SYSTEM after coula seconds from driving it,, and i cant hear the sound of the compressor working,,
the mechanic said tht one of my front suspension sensors s not working,, and said it would cost $900 to fix it all ,, (coz the sensor comes along with the suspension)
is there another way of fixing it,, or is there another diagnosis for my problem ,, thank u guys!

i know my car has some perks ,, but i appreciate all the help im gettin here and thank u for ur time

 

[JMiles_T]

I don't see many reports of height sensor failures.

The compressor, and the compressor relay are what tend to fail first.

Whatever the problem, $900 is way too much money. It sounds like he wants to replace the whole suspension, which is un-necessary. A height sensor shouldn't cost more than $50, and installing it shouldn't cost more than the price of an oil change. I say you should do 1 of 3 three things:

1. Take it to another mechanic
2. Tackle it yourself
3. Get a coil conversion kit

 

[MarkOfDeath]

could be a leaking bag, does it lower over night

 

[alex13]

yea it doeslower over night,, it only did tht last night,, last week it stayed leveled,,,how can i see if its a leaking bag? and how can i know if the compressor is failing?

im sorry guys,, im not very good in mechanics,, and i appreciate the help!

 

[American Air-1]

I agree that its probably not a sensor. Its possible, but not likely. I would suggest getting in the car and timing the approx. time it takes for the light to come on after start up.

If it comes on just after startup, it is a "hard fault". This could be just about anything. You would need to have the codes pulled to know where to start.

If it comes on after 90 seconds, this is a "raising time-out", which means it didn't raise up fast enough in the allotted 90 second timeframe.

If it comes on after 45 seconds, that is a "lowering time-out", which means it didn't lower or "vent" down fast enough in the allotted 45 second timeframe.

This page explains this in more detail: http://www.americanairsuspension.com/the light is coming on.htm

Keep in mind that the module or brain of the air suspension system, will go to sleep an hour after the ignition is turned off. After this hour has passed, NO adjustments should take place. (raising or lowering) In other words, if the car goes down during the night, after this hour has passed, at least one struts is leaking.

I would suggest doing a leak test and go from there. You can do this without even getting your hands dirty:
http://www.americanairsuspension.com/MARK VIII LEAK TEST.htm